Keyboard amplifier

Higher-priced, higher power output keyboard amps designed for professionals may have equalizer controls for each channel.

With electric pianos used in a rock or funk band, natural tube overdrive is often added to the sound.

Since keyboards have a very wide range of pitches, from deep bass notes to very high treble notes, keyboard amplifiers have to provide solid low-frequency sound reproduction and crisp high-frequency sound reproduction.

They usually include tuned bass reflex ports or vents for increased efficiency at low frequencies.

While electric guitar amplifiers are typically designed to modify the tone of the guitar (e.g., by adding distortion and rolling off high frequencies), keyboard amplifiers intended for general use for a range of keyboard applications usually have very low distortion and extended, flat frequency response in both directions.

The exception to this rule is keyboard amplifiers designed for the Hammond organ, such as the vintage Leslie speaker cabinet and modern recreations, which have a tube amplifier which is often turned up to add a warm, "growling" overdrive to the organ sound.

Electric piano players in rock and funk also often seek to add natural tube overdrive to their sound.

Another unusual aspect of keyboard amplifiers is that they are often designed with a "wedge" shape, as used with monitor speakers.

In some genres, such as progressive rock, for example, keyboardists may perform with several synthesizers, electric pianos, and electro-mechanical keyboards.

Some keyboard amps may be equipped with a compressor or limiter to protect the speaker from damage when the amplifier is being used at high volume levels.

At most mid-sized venues and all large venues, such as stadiums, the signal from the keyboard amp's pre-amp out jack, DI out jack and/or the microphoned sound from the speaker and horn are fed to the mixing board and then amplified with the PA system or sound reinforcement system.

In cases where a keyboardist has a rotating Leslie speaker, microphones are always used to pick up the sound, rather than taking an electronic signal from the amp, because only a mic can capture the unique sound of Leslie's rotating horns and speaker drum.

Keyboard amps with an XLR mic input, preamplifier and a multichannel mixer are in effect small combo PA systems.

While small combo keyboard amps with mic inputs became widely available on the market in the 2000s (decade) and were promoted as an innovation, in fact, the first portable PA systems sold in the 1920s and 1930s were "combo" systems, in which a power amplifier and speaker were combined in a single wooden cabinet.

Instrument amplifiers from the 1950s and 1960s still sometimes included inputs for microphones, as few portable PA systems were available for garage bands during this era.

Elevating a PA speaker above the audience helps to ensure that the sound is dispersed to the whole audience; if a combo keyboard amp is used as a small PA, the keyboard amp is typically placed on the floor or raised a bit by placing it on a table.

In this scenario, the sound produced by the keyboard amp would be absorbed by the first several rows of audience members, and people in the back of the venue might not be able to hear the performance.

Second, most small, low-wattage keyboard amps do not produce enough volume to clearly project the lead vocals into the venue so that they are at the "front of the mix", a sound preferred in many pop genres.

Meyer Sound suggests that its 650-R2 Concert Series Subwoofer, a 14-cubic-foot (0.40 m3) enclosure with two 18-inch (460 mm) drivers, can be used for bass instrument amplification.

Named after its inventor, Donald Leslie, it is particularly associated with the Hammond organ, but is used with a variety of instruments (notably electric guitar) and sometimes with vocals.

The Leslie Speaker and the Hammond Organ brands are currently owned by Suzuki Musical Instrument Corporation.

Horn-less vintage combo bass amps may not provide crisp, accurate reproduction of high-pitched keyboard sounds.

While these powered PA speakers have full-range capability (as they contain woofers and tweeters) and they are robust enough for high-volume live music, some models are not designed to be portable, and so they lack carrying handles and metal-protected corners.

These lineups are described to give readers a sense of the range in size, speaker types and power (in watts) of standard keyboard combo amplifiers.

It has 320 watts of power split over two 12-inch woofers and two tweeters, a variety of inputs and effects, and handles and casters to make it more easily portable.